The Black Within

About

The Black Within is a single player casual simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by waleedzo and was released on May 30, 2024. It received very positive reviews from players.

In "The Black Within," become Laila Rose, a down-on-her-luck musician who sold her soul for fame and fortune. Venture into the aby at the instruction of your new boss, Arne Cheyenne, facing the consequences of your actions. This psychological horror experience challenges you with a battle of fear versus change, pain versus hope, and takes roughly 70 minutes to complete.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

story17 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features an engaging story with a unique premise that explores the consequences of selling one's soul in the music industry, keeping players invested throughout.
The atmosphere is well-crafted, with effective jump scares and immersive sound design that enhances the horror experience.
Despite being a short game, it delivers quality scares and a solid gameplay experience, showcasing the developer's potential for future projects.

The game is quite short, taking around 45 minutes to an hour to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
There are several bugs and technical issues, including freezing and problems with item interactions, which can disrupt the gameplay experience.
The story and gameplay mechanics can feel clichéd and predictable at times, lacking depth and replay value.

story
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
52%
7%
The game's story is a unique and engaging horror narrative that explores themes of ambition and the consequences of making deals with dark forces, particularly in the context of the music industry. While many players appreciated the atmosphere and the integration of jump scares with the plot, some felt the story was rushed or lacked depth, particularly towards the end. Overall, it offers a compelling experience, though opinions vary on its execution and resolution.
- “It's a new take on the typical horror story, and the dev did a good job showing the consequences of our protagonist's actions.”
- “The story had meaning to it, and it brought tears to my eyes.”
- “The storytelling was rich, original, and has a very important message behind it.”
- “My beef with the game is the story and the price.”
- “The story is just nonsense, and it has no real resolution when you get to the end.”
- “However... with that being said... I think this story is not only all over the place... but also highly unbelievable.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
5%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively blending well-timed jump scares with a compelling narrative. Players appreciate the rich visuals and smooth gameplay that enhance the sense of dread, while the various locations contribute to a consistently creepy vibe. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, making the experience both engaging and unsettling.
- “Atmosphere was great in this game; I loved the random paranormal activity that occurred in the house, creating a sense of dread like something was behind you.”
- “I enjoyed the rich atmospheric visuals, engaging psychologically intense narrative, and exceptional design that was impressive.”
- “The atmosphere is eerie, the graphics are well done, and the movement feels smooth and responsive.”
- “The game has a genuinely creepy atmosphere.”
- “It had what many will call the typical jump scares, but they were timed well and blended with the story to help create an eerie atmosphere.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The music in "The Black Within" is praised for its quality and mood, effectively enhancing the psychological horror experience, particularly through the soundtrack and sound design. While some reviewers appreciate the artistic vision and integration of music with the game's themes, others feel that the depth of the narrative does not fully match the grandiosity of the music. Additionally, there are suggestions for using copyright-free music in future projects to avoid issues with content creators.
- “Not only because the song is also pretty nice and moodwise, it reminded me a lot about my fave game ever (in sound mind).”
- “Love the sound design, best part is the song on the radio cinema.”
- “Not only the music, but the sound effects, as well as the sounds for the jump scares and horror aspects of the game.”
- “Maybe it's something deeper about how the music industry is about selling your soul, but it didn't really hit; it felt very surface level.”
- “The grandiose music, deep quotes, etc., do not fit the narrative of a 50-minute indie horror game.”
- “Not only the music, but the sound effects, as well as the sounds for the jump scares and horror aspects of the game, were lacking.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the atmospheric visuals and smooth movement, while others note that some elements appear dated or rely on bought assets. Overall, the visuals are described as solid and engaging, contributing positively to the game's eerie atmosphere, though there are occasional issues with sound synchronization that can disrupt immersion.
- “The atmosphere is eerie, the graphics are well done, and the movement feels smooth and responsive.”
- “The graphics were amazing at times.”
- “I enjoyed the rich atmospheric visuals, engaging psychologically intense narrative, and exceptional design was impressive.”
- “The graphics and interface are extremely dated for a new 2024 game.”
- “Graphics are a bit lacking and bought/free assets are used; sound is okay and does the job.”
- “However, there were occasional issues with sound not matching the visuals (time-wise, e.g., the bathtub scene), which slightly disrupted the immersion.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The gameplay is characterized by a typical horror game structure, involving item retrieval and puzzle-solving to progress, while successfully avoiding common "run and hide" mechanics. Although the mechanics are well-executed and free of major technical issues, the experience feels repetitive and limited, with gameplay lasting around 45 minutes to an hour, leading some to suggest waiting for a discount due to the high price. Overall, while it offers decent scares and smooth mechanics, it adheres closely to a familiar formula that may not satisfy all players.
- “Best of all, it avoids the overused 'run and hide' mechanics that bog down so many horror games.”
- “I do have to say that all of the mechanics are well taken care of in comparison to many other titles built on the same formula.”
- “The actual mechanics of the game are pretty standard: mini puzzles to progress through the game (find keys, enter combinations, etc.) and with some pretty decent scares in between.”
- “The gameplay is your typical horror game: find an item to open a door, then in the next room find an item to open a different door. You know how this goes.”
- “However, given the high asking price for such limited gameplay (about 1 hour), I would wait for a discount.”
- “While it avoids major technical issues that are common in similar indie horror games, the gameplay feels like it uses the standard formula and each playthrough is nearly identical.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised, with users reporting smooth performance and no significant issues during gameplay. The voice acting also received positive feedback, contributing to the overall experience.
- “Voice acting is great and performance was good; there were no issues running it.”
- “The game runs smoothly on my system, and I appreciate the optimization efforts.”
- “I was pleasantly surprised by how well the game performs even on lower-end hardware.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While "The Black Within" provides a compelling experience with strong tension, it is noted to have limited replayability, suggesting that players may not find enough incentive to revisit the game after completing it.
- “The game offers good tension, but lacks replay value.”
- “Once you complete the story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel redundant.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, highlighting amusing elements such as a clever Easter egg related to xQc's emote and a comical sound effect for item collection that resembles eating. These touches contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “There's a great Easter egg behind the painting of xQc's emote that made me laugh!”
- “I think the sound for picking up items was hilarious, as it sounded like you were eating things instead of putting them in your pocket.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the emotional impact of the game's ending to be profound, particularly appreciating the voiceover that encouraged them as they approached a significant moment, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional weight of the scene.
- “The end was awesome; as I walked to the light, the voiceover guy said, 'You're almost there, you can do it,' which added to the ambience of the scene and heightened the emotional impact as I walked toward the light.”